Demolitions and confiscations in communities facing expulsion

On Wednesday, 3 November 2021, at around 8:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military and Border Police escort to the community of al-Jawaya southeast of the town of Yatta in the South Hebron Hills, where they demolished the home of a family of 15, including seven minors, which contained two apartments.

On Monday, 1 November 2021, at around 11:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military escort and a bulldozer to the community of ‘Ein al-Meyteh, west of Khirbet al-Malih, near the village of Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley. The forces demolished three residential tents that were home to a family of nine, including seven minors, two tents used as livestock pens, a tent for storing fodder, a livestock enclosure, a solar panel, and three water tanks. The forces also confiscated the battery of the solar power system and 30 metal poles.

On Wednesday, 27 October 2021, at around 5:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military escort and a crane truck to the current residence of families from the Humsah al-Foqa community, which was destroyed by Israel in July 2021. The forces confiscated a barbed wire fence and support pillars for the erection of tents that were meant to house an extended family of 14, including seven minors.

On 25 October 2021, at around 3:30 P.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military escort and two crane trucks to a school in the community of Khirbet al-Malih (the Hamamat al-Malih area), near Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley. The school, which was established about a year ago, has 45 students. The Civil Administration staff dismantled and confiscated a metal pergola that provided shade for playground facilities in the yard and two tin-and-wood rooms still under construction, that were intended to serve as a medical clinic for the students and area residents. The grounds given for the demolition were damage to antique relics.

In the morning hours of Monday, 25 October 2021, Civil Administration officials accompanied by soldiers and Border Police officers, and equipped with bulldozers, arrived at the community of al-Mufaqarah in Masafer Yatta. The forces confiscated a tent set up by community residents to host people visiting the area as a show of solidarity following the settler attack on 28 September 2021.

From there, the forces continued south and destroyed a dirt road leading from the community of Khirbet Khilet a-Dabe’ to the community of al-Fakhit. They also destroyed the main water line that ran alongside it, which serves most of the communities in Masafer Yatta.

The acts of destruction yesterday, as well as the settler attack on al-Mufaqarah, are part of the state’s attempt to expel the residents of Masafer Yatta from their place of residence. As part of these attempts, the state forbids them to legally build their homes or connect to water and power grids, restricts their grazing land, and enables acts of settler violence in order to make their lives so unbearable that they will leave of their own volition (Video Filmed by ‘Eid Hazalin and Itai Feitelson).

On Monday morning, 18 October 2021, Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military and Border Police escort, and a bulldozer at the village of a-Sikkah, south of Beit ‘Awwa, and demolished a home under construction intended to house a family of six, including four minors. The house was erected near the Separation Barrier.

From there, the forces continued to the Halhul area, where they demolished a two-story house under construction by the power of Military Order 1797.

That morning, Civil Administration personnel came with a military escort and bulldozers to the village of Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley, where they demolished an 800-meter section of road paved by the Tayasir Regional Council about three months ago which connects Taysir to the village of al-‘Aqabah.

On Wednesday morning, 6 October 2021, Civil Administration personnel came with a Border Police escort and a crane truck to the area between al-Khalediyeh and Khirbet Ma’in, southeast of the town of Yatta in Hebron District. The forces confiscated a prefab used for agricultural purposes owned by a resident of the Khirbet Ma’in community.

On Tuesday, 31 August 2021, at around 7:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military and Border Police escort and a bulldozer to the community of Khirbet Ibziq in the northern Jordan Valley. The forces demolished two residential tents, an outhouse and a clay oven (tabun) belonging to a family that lives in the community in winter. They also demolished two tents used as livestock pens and an agricultural shack. Before leaving, the forces handed demolition orders to two other families in the community.

On Wednesday, 25 August 2021, at around 8:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel came with a military and Border Police escort and a bulldozer to the southern entrance to the city of Hebron and demolished a garage. From there, the forces continued to Khalet al-Furn southeast of Hebron, where they demolished agricultural terraces and uprooted some of the fruit trees on a plot of about 10 dunams. The forces then continued to Za’atut south of the village of al-Buweib, where they demolished a mosque under construction. 

On Tuesday, 24 August 2021, Israeli troops trained with heavy machinery close to homes and to the school at the entrance to the village of Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley. The training, which endangered the residents, provoked protest. Village youths began throwing stones at the soldiers, who responded by firing tear gas canisters at them and at the school. Some of the youths suffered gas inhalation and were taken to the local hospital.

On Sunday, 15 August 2021, the Israeli military began training in various parts of the Jordan Valley. The forces, which included tanks, spread out in the communities of Khirbet Samrah, al Farisiyah, al-Burj, Khirbet al-Malih and other places in the area, and prevented shepherds from grazing their herds. The maneuvers, which included shelling, ended on the afternoon of Thursday, 19 August 2021. During the training that day, several shells hit the Khirbet Jabaris area southeast of Khirbet Ibzik, destroying a tent used as a rest stop for shepherds.

On Monday, 16 August 2021, Civil Administration personnel came to the community of Khirbet Ibzik and informed one of the families that they had to vacate their home on 22, 25 and 31 August, for two days at a time, due to military training planned in their area of residence. In addition, two families from the community received stop-work orders for two tents they owned.

The military’s training routine in the Jordan Valley is part of Israel’s long-standing policy that endangers the lives of residents and harms their livelihood. The policy aims to make the lives of Palestinian communities unbearable and force them out, ostensibly of their own free will.

On Monday, 16 August 2021, at around 8:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military escort and two bulldozers at the Khirbet ‘Atuf area in the northern Jordan Valley. They demolished a dirt road that connected the community to the agricultural area. In addition, they demolished an agricultural structure belonging to one of the community’s farmers. From there, the forces continued north to the village of Bardalah, where they cut down some 100 olive trees.